Holocaust

The U.S. and the Holocaust: A new documentary by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein premiered on September 18. According to the release: The U.S. and the Holocaust is a three-part, six hour series that examines America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. Americans consider themselves a “nation of immigrants,” but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolded in Europe, the United States proved unwilling to open its doors to more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate people seeking refuge. Through riveting firsthand testimony of witnesses and survivors who as children endured persecution, violence and flight as their families tried to escape Hitler, this series delves deeply into the tragic human consequences of public indifference, bureaucratic red tape and restrictive quota laws in America. Did the nation fail to live up to its ideals? This is a history to be reckoned with.

I highly recommend everyone view thus eye-opening series.  It's on-line.  Much of what happened in the 1940’s seems to be happening today.  Those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it, and it is repeating through racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and scapegoating.  

We Catholics must view and understand how our religion and its leaders contributed to the death of thousands, if not millions, of Jews.

Deacon David Pierce